Journey towards Olympic dream: Kydeesha Crawford, Year 12 Playing any sport at an elite level takes sacrifice – something Kydeesha Crawford and her family know all too well. Swimming at a national level, the Year 12 boarder trains 11 times a week before and after school. She first moved to St Margaret’s in Year 9 on a swimming scholarship. Kydeesha’s parents, Natasha and Timothy, drive from the Sunshine Coast to St Margaret’s twice a day to take Kydeesha to and from swimming training. In between these sessions they work and catch up on sleep. “We would leave home at 3:45am in the morning and head down to take her to training,” Mrs Crawford said. “I think we just went into survival mode; we knew she was committed to the sport and were happy to provide the transport as this is was what it took to get to the next level.
Family is paramount to Kydeesha and she is aware of the advantages she has had both from her family and from gaining a scholarship. “Support from families, friends, boarding and coaches is so important. If you had a disadvantaged kid trying to get into swimming, it would be hard as swimming isn’t a cheap sport,” she said. “I’d like to see more Aboriginal children given opportunities in sport in general, not just swimming. Remote locations don’t have the resources or financial support we have in the big cities.”
“At no point did Kydeesha ever say she wasn’t going to train tomorrow, so we were prepared to support her all the way,” Mrs Crawford said.
“The advantage of being committed to a sport is that it teaches commitment, discipline and respect, values you can apply to all aspects of your life whether at school or in your future workplace,” Kydeesha said.
The family has always been interested in sport. Kydeesha’s brother Cadel plays rugby league competitively and recently broke nine Australian records for power lifting in the under 15s category.
While swimming at the Olympics is a dream, the teenager has an active plan B, which she says everyone should have. After school Kydeesha is interested in joining the police force and pursuing a career in forensics.
The move to boarding school wasn’t an easy decision for Kydeesha who knew it would be a big adjustment being away from home.
“It’s only the top one percent who make it, so you need something to fall back on,” Kydeesha said.
“At times it was stressful because everything was on me. You have to manage everything to maintain your scholarship, knowing that I had to perform to keep my grades and perform in the pool as well.
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“Mum knew that I wasn’t coping, due to my personality change (I just wasn’t myself). After arranging a meeting with senior staff and Aunty Gene, strategies were implemented to accommodate my situation and busy schedule,” said Kydeesha.
Margot Shave
